In the lead up to International Nurses Day this Saturday, Gillian talks about her nursing career at The Christie over four decades. Each day this week Gillian will share her experiences by each decade.
I have worked at The Christie as a nurse for more than 34 years and have seen many changes along the way; not just the many patients and colleagues who have come and gone, but the changing fabric of the buildings and the ever advancing treatment technologies and nursing practices. What has not changed, however, is the Christie ethos of always putting patients at the centre of everything we do. I witnessed this myself as a Christie patient back in 1982 and realised that The Christie was where I wanted to launch my nursing career. So in September 1983 I arrived at the Christie as a newly qualified staff nurse and have been here ever since!
The 1990s
By the 1990s
things were definitely changing. Hats were finally abandoned and nursing
specialism at The Christie was very much on the rise. Nursing hierarchies had
been established with the introduction of pay grades A-I back in 1988 and we
witnessed the demise of the enrolled nurse as many opted to convert to become
registered nurses.
At The
Christie nurses began to expand their roles. Ward sisters began to take on the
duty manager role out of hours, and I remember many an hour wandering through
the medical records library trying to trace sets of notes (usually to no avail
– remember this was before electronic notes tracking). Ward nurses began to
take blood samples from patients and more nurses were training to insert IV
cannulas and administer chemotherapy.
It was a time
of great change within the NHS and we saw the introduction of the patient’s
charter which set out a number of rights and entitlements for National Health
Service patients. Patients began to assert themselves.
The 1990s
witnessed the emergence of ‘Project 2000’ nurses – those that trained to
diploma level in higher education rather than schools of nursing attached to
hospitals. The increase in theory and reduction in practice left many of them ill-prepared
for their role as ‘hands-on’ nurses. Newly qualified nurses often needed a lot
of support adjusting to the demands of the job.
It was a time
when I really grew into my role as a ward sister, and for the first time
sisters were involved in recruiting their own staff – shortlisting and
conducting interviews. Prior to this you got whoever the nursing officers
appointed for your ward!
At the
beginning of the decade, The Christie became one of the first NHS trusts in the
country and, for the first time, was able to manage its own affairs. A senior
managerial penchant for hotel-like interiors rapidly came unstuck when carpets
were introduced in ward areas. Over time, no amount of cleaning could eradicate
the offensive smell that was inevitable through normal ward activity and the
inability to mop spillages. I personally invited executive managers onto my
ward to give them first-hand experience. The carpets were soon ripped up! One
benefit of the Trust's newfound freedom was the decorative upgrade of many
clinic areas including my own ward – Ward 4. Nurses had a say in selecting wall
paper and furnishings for the first time.
Computers
arrived on the wards in the 1990s – a foreign concept to all but the youngest
nurses. Of course we couldn’t do much with them back then; they were largely
used for reading blood results. Still, it was a step towards the 21st
century! Then there was a huge amount of panic over ‘The Millennium Bug’ which
of course turned out to be a storm in a teacup.
Tomorrow - the 2000s
No comments:
Post a Comment